InfoLogix takes enterprise mobility inside and outside the four walls

In today's supply chain, information is the coin of the realm. We talked to InfoLogix to find out how companies are applying automated data collection technologies to solve business problems.

By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at Large -- Modern Materials Handling, 4/10/2007

While bar codes, voice systems and RFID are not new to the supply chain, demand for better and more timely information is multiplying exponentially across manufacturing and distribution. That means companies are looking for new ways to collect and communicate more data than ever, says David Guilian, CEO of InfoLogix, a provider of enterprise mobility solutions.

“Mobile data collection began inside the four walls of manufacturing plants and distribution centers,” says Guilian. “Today, thanks to cellular technology and wireless connectivity, we’re extending the enterprise outside the four walls, to sales people, delivery people and technicians in the field.”

Three examples
Here are three examples Guilian offers of how automated, wireless technologies are being used today.

1) More efficient picking: In one distribution center, a conveyor runs down the middle of wide storage aisles where pickers are responsible for a handful a specific number of stock keeping units (SKUs). In the past, picking instructions were sent to a hand-held bar code scanner. Today, those instructions are delivered through a voice technology headset. “Pickers are more efficient because they never had to look at a display or put the device down to pick a product,” says Guilian.

2) Managing cash flow: Most stories about RFID involve tagging cartons and pallets for delivery from a distribution center to a retail store. One manufacturer of flooring products is tagging the raw materials delivered to its warehouse with an RFID tag. “The manufacturer used to have millions tied up in raw materials sitting in a warehouse that didn’t turn for 60 to 90 days,” says Guilian. “Now, they tag the materials when they arrive and pay their suppliers within 48 hours of the tag crossing from the warehouse to the manufacturing plant. They freed up $10 to $15 million in working capital.”

3) Improving field service: When one automobile manufacturer used to launch a new model, it spent millions to print the service manuals and schematics for mechanics. Dealerships, meanwhile, had to send their mechanics to a training center to learn to work on the cars. Now, the manuals are all online. Before making a repair, a mechanic plugs the car into a wireless mobile cart. The system diagnoses the problem and sends an error code over the network. In return, the mechanic gets a schematic of the vehicle and a video that demonstrates how to make the repair. “The same concept can be applied to a service tech working on a piece of equipment in the field,” says Guilian. “Likewise, a salesman in the field can place an order that will be shipped that day while he’s in front of a customer, rather than wait to do it in batch back at the office.”